Once upon a time, I had ovaries. I still have breasts. I am told by researchers that I have will always possess a greater fat content per square inch of body mass than a male of comparable size. My chromosomes sport an XX.
In short, I am a woman.
And so, I found myself asking recently, “Are you kidding me?”
Today, I paused to ask other women if I was sufficiently shielded by a swimsuit and a knee-length cover-up before I drove to the nearest gas station. Are you kidding me?
Explain to me why a woman’s body makes her a potential target for judgment and abuse?
Why should shoulders and chests be hidden? Why must girls — not even women yet — guard against attack when they’re going to the bathroom? And what leads others, mostly men, to think that they have any rights here?
Explain to me why, reflexively, I asked other women if I was sufficiently covered to go to a gas station. And while you’re at it, explain why grocery stores in St. George cover magazines with women’s bodies on the front; natural, beautiful, God-created bodies. Why should they be hidden?
Consider burkas. So it’s up to a woman to cover the parts of herself that might arouse a man? How about a covering for a man to shield him from becoming aroused? A shock strap, perhaps?
Let me be clear, however: I do not indict all men. I spent some time in that intellectual backwash many years ago, and ultimately rejected the overstatement of its childish condemnation. I am grateful for the sensitive, intelligent men who share my outrage at this stupidity. They are out there, and their presence is as refreshing as it is necessary for our continuing growth as a global community.
And yet, there persists an undeniably tenacious attitude regarding the incompleteness of women that is, at best, uninformed, and at worst, malicious. It infers that in our entirety, it is a woman’s fate to be regarded by some heartless souls as objects, with less-than equal-humanity.
It breaks my heart that we still haven’t resolved this. My sisters and I, led by women like Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug, fought this battle in the ‘60s and ‘70s. And yet, here we are. Well into the 21st century, we revisit this issue every time male-dominated legislatures attempt to encroach on our right to make decisions about what happens to our own bodies.
I have three granddaughters. Their mothers are doing a wonderful job of teaching them to be confident and secure in their bodies. Still, I worry that the world into which they are about to step is in no way ready for them.
My darling girls, you will likely encounter instances in which there will be attempts to compromise your humanity. I regret that it’s even necessary to alert you to this reality, but it is. And so, remember this: You are complete. You are whole. You are a person of worth and value.
Beware that there are some who will see you as less. Ignore them.
I’ll keep you posted.
